Termites Are Swarming In Missouri

Spring is the time of year when many homeowners begin to notice flying insects emerging from their property. Sometimes people even notice these insect flyers swarming up out of their homes. With all the commotion that occurs during an insect swarm, it can be pretty tough to tell what type of insect you see flying around. Many people think they look like flying ants, but believe it or not, a swarm of flyers in the spring in Missouri could easily be a termite swarm. Termite swarms are a common occurrence in the early spring in St. Louis and throughout Missouri. Although seeing flying ants may be alarming to you, a swarm of termites is of greater concern! Termites are a serious concern due to the large scale structural damage they are capable of causing if they infest your property.

Swarming termites are actually the reproductive members of the colony. They have wings so that they can fly. In spring, they may emerge from the colony and fly up into the sky to mate with other reproductive termites. Sometimes there will be thousands of termites in this swarm! Once they find the right mate, their wings fall off, they drop to the ground and off they go, ‘hand in hand’ with their significant other to establish a new colony. Although that might sound cute to you, we assure you, it is not! If a colony becomes established and its population grows, it can become a huge problem for your home, especially once the colony finds your home and begins eating away at the wood in your home’s structure.

It can be tough to tell the difference between termite swarmers and flying ants, but its’ important to know what is flying around your St. Louis home. If it's a termite problem, you will want to be aware so that you can take action! The experts in termite control at Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions would like to share with you the differences between swarming termites and flying ants so that you can take proper action to get rid of the problem.

Swarming Termites: These insects have straight, beaded antennae with broad bodies. They have two sets of wings that are equal in length.

Flying Ants: These insects have bent or elbowed antennae with a pinched body that appears as an hourglass shape. They have two sets of wings that are not equal in length.

If you’ve seen swarming termites around your home or on your property, you should contact Rottler immediately. There is the possibility that these are the first termites to be found on your property and no damage has been done to your property yet, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. There is also the possibility that there has been ongoing damage to your home created by termites! Because of this, it would be good to have our professionals inspect your home and property to search for signs of termites and their damage.

At Rottler, our termite control solutions are extremely effective. We offer the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System, which is proven to get rid of existing termites and prevent new ones from entering your home. This termite baiting system is environmentally friendly and almost non-invasive, as it requires no digging or trenching. Contact us today for more information on the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System and to schedule your first termite inspection.

This blog was originally published on March 23, 2012, but we have updated it to reflect the most recent and accurate information available in helping you combat frustrating termite problems.